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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. root — of a word
  6. fall — to drop
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pitch — completely
  10. root — the cause
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bore — to tire
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. clip — a video
  20. fall — the season
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com